Being a human in the Hole is mostly downsides, and while others may be content to be picked off one by one by sorcerers using humans as target practice, he's not. "Seriously, it's not that crazy!" He says, trying to get you to understand. You're his only friend, you have to understand.

"The only people who have any power are sorcerers." Sure, there's the fact that, even if he could find someone to do surgery on him to give him the ability to produce smoke, he would likely die in the process, but he was close to death anyways.